The Gathering, last Thursday of every month, 10 p.m.-2 a.m., free, The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St., 215-573-3234, www.foundationarts.org

Hosted by emcees I BE and TuPhayce, the West Philly monthly event features an array of local b-boys and girls strutting their downrock and poppin' skills, along with indulgent urban digs. Sporting an H&M-meets-Sal-Army style, the kids hurl, contort and buckle the human figure in manners that mock physics.

Poppers and lesser dancers are relegated to the perimeter dance pits, while the main circle hosts the most acrobatically skilled breakers. Only pride is at stake here, but that's all the incentive needed to spark hostile words between rival dancers. Them be fightin' words, and they're usually hashed out in an amusing dance-off.

It's a 3-to-1 ratio of participants to spectators, so don't feel out of place if you don't know a mill from a drill—you can still bop your head to "U Can't Touch This."